Publications by authors named "Tom Kovesi"

The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) Pediatric Expert Panel is made up of pediatric physicians from the disciplines of radiology, emergency medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, respirology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, urology, a patient advisor, and an epidemiologist/guideline methodologist. After developing a list of 50 clinical/diagnostic scenarios, a rapid scoping review was undertaken to identify systematically produced referral guidelines that provide recommendations for one or more of these clinical/diagnostic scenarios. Recommendations from 32 guidelines and contextualization criteria in the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) for guidelines framework were used to develop 133 recommendation statements across the 50 scenarios.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Indoor air quality is an important determinant for the health of children and youth, but the conditions within Indigenous communities are understudied. We collaborated with Kanehsatake First Nation in Quebec, Canada, to address this gap using a community-based participatory research approach. Levels of key indoor air indicators, including particulate matter (PM), CO, and relative humidity, were measured in 31 randomly selected households between June 2021 and January 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The International Network on Esophageal Atresia (INoEA) stands as a beacon of collaboration in addressing the complexities of this congenital condition on a global scale. The eleven board members, from various countries (USA, Canada, France, Australia, Italy, Sweden, Germany, and The Netherlands) and backgrounds (pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric surgery, pediatric pulmonology, nursing, and parents) met in a face-to-face symposium in Lille in November 2023, to identify challenges and solutions for improving global collaboration of the network.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Indigenous peoples around the world bear a disproportionate burden of chronic respiratory diseases, which are associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality. Despite the imperative to address global inequity, research focused on strengthening respiratory health in Indigenous peoples is lacking, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. Drivers of the increased rates and severity of chronic respiratory diseases in Indigenous peoples include a high prevalence of risk factors (eg, prematurity, low birthweight, poor nutrition, air pollution, high burden of infections, and poverty) and poor access to appropriate diagnosis and care, which might be linked to colonisation and historical and current systemic racism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Heterogeneity in reported outcomes of infants with oesophageal atresia (OA) with or without tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF) prevents effective data pooling. Core outcome sets (COS) have been developed for many conditions to standardise outcome reporting, facilitate meta-analysis and improve the relevance of research for patients and families. Our aim is to develop an internationally-agreed, comprehensive COS for OA-TOF, relevant from birth through to transition and adulthood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Few studies have quantified aerosol concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and long-term care homes, and fewer still have examined samples for viability. This information is needed to clarify transmission risks beyond close contact.

Methods: We deployed particulate air samplers in rooms with COVID-19 positive patients in hospital ward and ICU rooms, rooms in long-term care homes experiencing outbreaks, and a correctional facility experiencing an outbreak.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the original publication of this article [1], the institutional author's name needs to be revised from The Paediatric Chairs of Canada Mark Bernstein to The Paediatric Chairs of Canada.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adrenal suppression (AS) is an important side effect of glucocorticoids (GCs) including inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). AS can often be asymptomatic or associated with non-specific symptoms until a physiological stress such as an illness precipitates an adrenal crisis. Morbidity and death associated with adrenal crisis is preventable but continues to be reported in children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pediatrician and pediatric subspecialist density varies substantially among the various Canadian provinces, as well as among various states in the US. It is unknown whether this variability impacts health outcomes. To study this knowledge gap, we evaluated pediatric asthma admission rates within the 2 Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have similarly sized pediatric populations and substantially different physician densities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following the introduction of 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7), while overall rates of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia in children declined, rates of empyema increased. We examined changes in the incidence of hospitalization for pediatric complicated pneumonia (PCOMP) in Eastern Ontario, Canada, particularly since the introduction of the 13-valent vaccine (PCV13). A retrospective chart review was carried out evaluating previously healthy children admitted with PCOMP, which included empyema, parapneumonic effusion, necrotizing pneumonia, and lung abscess between 2002 and 2015.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: We examined the impact of a nurse-driven clinical pathway on length of stay (LOS) for children hospitalized with asthma.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving children hospitalized with asthma. Nurses of children in the intervention group weaned salbutamol frequency using an asthma scoring tool, whereas physicians weaned salbutamol frequency for the control group patients as per standard care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Food insecurity, vitamin D deficiency and lower respiratory tract infections are highly prevalent conditions among Inuit children. However, the relationship between these conditions has not been examined in this population.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and severe respiratory infections before age 2 years and health centre visits for a respiratory problem in the past year.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to analyze infants with inconclusive cystic fibrosis diagnoses, identified through newborn screening, to understand disease manifestations and outcomes.
  • - It involved 82 infants with CFSPID and 80 with confirmed cystic fibrosis, comparing various health data including sweat tests and genetic information, revealing that some CFSPID infants eventually received a cystic fibrosis diagnosis.
  • - Results showed that CFSPID infants had lower immunoreactive trypsinogen levels and that a significant number were likely to be diagnosed with cystic fibrosis within the first three years, indicating the need for close monitoring and repeat testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Asthma is a serious health problem for First Nations and Inuit children. In children younger than one year of age, asthma needs to be distinguished from viral bronchiolitis, which is unusually common in Canadian Aboriginal children. In children younger than six years of age, the diagnosis depends on the presence of typical symptoms, the absence of atypical features and the documentation of response to therapy - particularly a rapid, transient response to bronchodilators.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of nurse-initiated administration of oral corticosteroids before physician assessment in moderate to severe acute asthma exacerbations in the pediatric ED.

Methods: A time-series controlled trial evaluated nurse initiation of treatment with steroids before physician assessment in children with Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure score ≥4. One-to-one periods (physician-initiated and nurse-initiated) were analyzed from September 2009 through May 2010.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cigarette smoking represents the single most preventable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the United States and the burden of tobacco use is apparent world-wide. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2004. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and its members have contributed significantly to an understanding of the biological and pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the development and management of tobacco-attributable disease and disability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although Pediatric Respiratory Medicine as a subspecialty has a long tradition and is well established in some countries, there is a wide variation across different regions of the world with regard to e.g. recognition of the discipline, training requirements, training facilities and clinical needs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To test the association between reported allergy and allergic diseases, respiratory symptoms, and the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), in a community sample of school aged children.

Methodology: We administered a respiratory questionnaire and measured FeNO in a cross-sectional study of 1,135 children.

Results: FeNO was significantly greater in children with reported asthma (20.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We describe a case of horseshoe lung in an infant with facio-auriculo-vertebral (FAV) sequence that included mild hemifacial microsomia, ear anomalies, a missing left rib, left hemivertebrae (T2-T4), and complex congenital heart disease. Of the approximately 40 cases of horseshoe lung described since 1962, most are reported in association with scimitar syndrome, and only four reported cases were associated with left lung hypoplasia. None of these cases included malformations consistent with a diagnosis of FAV sequence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Although guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the last 15 years, there has been little focus on issues relating to asthma in childhood. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian asthma consensus report, important new studies, particularly in children, have highlighted the need to incorporate this new information into asthma guidelines.

Objectives: To review the literature on asthma published between January 2000 and June 2003 and to evaluate the influence of new evidence on the recommendations made in the Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, 1999 and its 2001 update with a major focus on pediatric issues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF